There’s just something about a Volvo wagon that feels right. They usually aren’t the fastest or most opulent or most efficient or most gadget-rich cars on the road, but they usually have a certain mix of style, practicality, and comfort that’s hard to resist. The modern V90 is still an absolutely stunning machine with huge presence and a gorgeous interior, which explains its fairly strong resale value. Want an R-Design model in Bursting Blue? Be prepared to pay. Fortunately, I recently learned that there is a way of getting a largely similar car for much less cash: Buy one with cladding.
Nearly three decades ago, Volvo looked at what Subaru was doing with the Outback and thought “I’ll have what they’re having.” The result was the V70 XC, the latter two letters standing for “Cross Country.” This raised-up plastic-clad wagon was an instant hit, so it’s no surprise that the Cross Country lineage has continued through to models like the V90 Cross Country. It’s been raised by 2.3 inches over the standard V90, fitted with chunky fender flares, skirts and valences to shrug off stone chips and brambles, but is otherwise the same car as its low-slung brother.
This means you get those razor-sharp Thor’s Hammer headlights, an optional Bowers & Wilkins sound system that remains the benchmark for OEM premium audio setups, 53.9 cu.-ft. of cargo space with the rear seats folded down, and front seats that can fix your life, never mind your posture. Admittedly, I’m still not crazy about the screen-heavy tablet-style infotainment system, but at least it supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you can plug your phone in and forget about much of the native interface. Beyond that, every switch is nicely damped, and every material from the open-pore wood to the silky leather feels quality, which makes a second-hand V90 Cross Country seem like a lot of car for less than $20,000.
Oh yes, while that sort of pricing does only get you an early model, you aren’t exclusively looking at examples with moon mileage. Check out this brown-over-blonde 2017 V90 Cross Country T6 up for sale in Massachusetts with all the toys you could really want. The phenomenal Bowers & Wilkins sound system, massaging seats, rear side window blinds, enhanced parking assistance, and the 316-horsepower twin-charged engine. All this for $18,500 with a clean history report. Even the mileage isn’t crazy for a near-decade-old car, with 121,373 miles on the clock working out to roughly the standard of 13,000 a year. Nice.
If mileage is more of a concern than cleanly blasting “Weird Fishes” so loudly that the neighbors get concerned, something like this 2018 V90 Cross Country T5 is probably more in your wheelhouse. It skips the supercharger to produce 250 horsepower from a two-liter turbocharged inline-four, has 92,674 miles on the clock, and is up for sale in Nashville, Tenn. for $17,896. Again, a lot of car for the money.
If you don’t care much about mileage and just want to ball on a budget, this particular 2017 V90 Cross Country T6 is diabolically cheap. To be specific, $10,699, and it even has the Bowers & Wilkins sound system specced. Why so cheap? Well, it’s a one-two punch of damage history and a whopping 193,792 miles on the clock. Still, if you’re feeling brave, make your way down to East Windsor, Connecticut, where this raised wagon is up for sale.
By now you’re probably wondering what the catch is here. After all, heavily depreciated European luxury cars are often diabolically expensive to run. Right you are, as these early V90 Cross Country examples sometimes suffered teething issues. That T6 twincharged engine doesn’t have the most robust supercharger on the planet, for example. A complete replacement kit with a new supercharger, gaskets, and an alignment tool currently costs $1,684.06 plus a $250 core charge from FCP Euro. Rarer but still known enough to be noteworthy is the air-con evaporator core. Some owners have reported it failing, and this is a properly expensive job as the whole dashboard needs to come out. The part itself is only $700, but the sheer time required to replace it can push labor costs into the thousands. On a more minor note, there’s a $68 coolant line that can go brittle with time, a $102 updated sunroof seal can stop annoying air leaks, and while the LED taillights are known for water ingress, aftermarket replacements are available at significantly lower cost.
Okay, so the Volvo V90 Cross Country isn’t the most reliable second-hand luxury car you can buy, but when it comes to large, luxurious wagons, it’s still rather tempting. Well-judged ride quality meets plenty of passenger space, a usable cargo hold, and sumptuous design inside and out. It’s relaxing to drive, exceptionally comfortable, and just a lovely object to live with every day. So long as you’re willing to take the brave pill and have a few grand set aside in case the air conditioning evaporator leaks, this is still a ton of car for the money. Didn’t know they were getting this cheap? Now you do.
Top graphic image: Autotrader seller
That silver one looks great. I do miss a good Volvo seat too.
Volvo might be the OEM with the most handsome lineup all around, but I kinda fell out of love with them when Geely bought them. They may still technically be headquarted in Gothenburg, but I just don’t feel the same about them anymore.
Very lovely to look at, but even as a Volvo guy with two of them in his driveway, I’ll probably never buy one. Even the base ones seem iffy with all that recent Chinese ownership/software/heavy tech, and the twincharger ones just give me the absolute heebie-jeebies when I contemplate long-term ownership.
If Volvo had put a relatively simple, over-engineered/under-stressed 5 or 6 cylinder naturally aspirated, chain driven, port injected, non-interference engine in these wagons instead of a little four with up to two different kinds of forced induction, they’d be like luxurious 245s and much more desirable (to me).
All of these once-pricey Euro luxobarges are cheap to buy when they’re ten years old. An S-Class Mercedes, a 7-Series BMW, or an Audi A7 or A8… they’re all tempting for the 80% depreciated asking price. You sit in them and think: oh, yes, I could get used to this. 🙂 Then you google a bit for common issues and average repair/running costs and decide to take another look at a nice, lightly-used Camry or Avalon instead. 😉
Volvo has a really good certified program and offers a warranty extension up to 10 years. I think if you buy relatively high on a certified one and check that box you’ll probably come out ahead in the end. While your car will almost certainly not be problem free, at least the big shit will be covered, and you’ll get all the trappings of a luxury dealership experience when it’s down…which as far as I’m aware includes loaners.
IMHO it’s about as good of a way to roll the dice on a depreciated European luxury car as there is, although you’ll have to pay more up front. Is it worth it for peace of mind? That depends on who you are and how much you’re comfortable doing yourself…but for the average buyer I feel comfortable saying it is.
Did Kia just announce a K4 longroof?
Spiritual successor reincarnated from Korea?
N DIVISION PLSSSSSSSSS
Its because they’re not very good cars. Hate to be honest but these are not anywhere close to the old tank-like Volvos of yore. They are more or less right up there with Mercedes, Audi, and BMW in terms of their fussiness and never-ending issues. Friend of mine has a V60 and its in the shop nearly constantly despite having less than 100k on the clock. So yeah. Used ones are cheap because you’re going to probably spend a lot more on top of that keeping them on the road. And most people know it. Same reason why gently used BMW 7 series are so cheap. Same reason.
Isn’t the infotainment a dumpster fire on these too? Looks like they have all the cabin functions in the screen too, so if it’s terrible to use, that’s kind of a dealbreaker.
Does Volvo have the best styling of any make right now? These V90s are gorgeous. Even the XCs pictured aren’t egregiously plastic-ky.
I just can’t bring myself to want a depreciated Euro luxury car with the reliability/maintenance costs when compared to a similar Lexus or Acura. Is the driving experience of an automatic Volvo that much better to justify the higher running costs?
It is usually the seats that are superior, but I’ve not done enough Lexus time to compare. Lexi just don’t depreciate, though.
Buying at the bottom of the depreciation curve, it doesn’t matter much to me if I buy a Euro for 10k and sell it for 10k or buy a Lexus for 15k and sell it for 15k.
I will absolutely concede on seats. For being the “sportier” choice over a Lexus, I want at least some bolstering in my TL.
Lexus seats are often very, very nice too. I sit in a newer one now and then, and am rarely disappointed.
Why get the XC when the better-looking normal V90 exists?
And, yet, the market seems to want the XC.
I don’t get it either.
Pretty sure it’s because the non-XC V90 was custom order only, so much less common, and because of this they carry a steep price premium for an equivalent example.
While I don’t have a v90 or xc90, I do have an S90.
If you can get any variant, I’d recommend one. They are a very grown up way to get around.
While a turbo’d supercharged 2.0 4 cylinder may seem wacky, it is actually quite enjoyable to drive. It doesn’t go for max power, it was seemingly engineered for torque at any time. Nice, easy going, usable torque at pretty much any speed. You’re not going to win drag races, but when you’re out and about, it’s delightful. On the freeway, the driving experience is so relaxed. You can go 80-90 if you wanted and it remains placid. Still plenty of grunt to nip past left lane hogs and keep moving without any drama.
Also, the stereo is sublime. The leather is buttery soft. Its not without flaw, but it is a very nice way to go about.
No major issues at around 60k. Hope it stays that way. I am encouraged that someone took one up to close on 200k.
Apples and oranges sort of, but the once-lovely leather in my XC90 is disturbingly thin and is pretty much effed-up by the time 100Kmiles rolls around, even with a careful single owner.
Not a deal breaker, but I’d rather have had more durable fake leather, or some kind of good thick cloth. The Audi I had in the late 80s had seat leather so thick it felt as though you could make baseball gloves from it. It still looked great 15 years and multiple owners later.
Counterpoint: E39 Tourings Exist
The Volvo is significantly newer with a lot of newer features most people will want. E39 wagons are awesome, but totally different car. And E39’s have timing chains made out of legos